Chapter 1428: The End of the Han Banner World (One Hundred and Eighteen)
Jiaocheng, General Office.
Yin Cuo held the letter that the courier had just handed to him in his hand. He just glanced at it a few times, and his hands couldn't help but tremble.
This was a letter asking for help. Tan Feng ordered him to immediately lead all the soldiers in Jiaocheng to rush to Shanyang County as quickly as possible to rescue the besieged army.
Sima Yan died in battle. Tan Feng led his troops across the Yinhua River, but was attacked by Guli's Hun cavalry division halfway across the river. Tens of thousands of soldiers who had not had time to cross the river disappeared into thin air. They either surrendered or died in battle. Few Liao Liao were able to swim across the river and escape with their lives. . After crossing the river, Tan Feng encountered a big obstacle in Xiquan City. A division of the Second Army of the Young Guards blocked the way. After several fierce battles, Tan Feng failed to break through the opponent's blockade, and behind him, Guo Laowei's main force and two cavalry divisions had crossed the river. Tan Feng, who had no way to the sky and no way to reach the ground, had to retreat to Shizi Ridge in Shanyang County, relying on the terrain to support him.
How can a lone army on a mountain with no reinforcements or food and grass survive today? Even if he recruits all the soldiers in Jiaocheng, there will only be more than 10,000 soldiers, and most of them will be new soldiers. If he goes to Shanyang, besides adding more military exploits to Guo Laowen's Second Army, what other role can he play?
"General Yin, please send troops quickly. General Tan is in dire straits. The food and grass can only last a few days. The Han army is so powerful that it has surrounded Shiziling. Without outside help, misfortune will come!" The messenger braced himself and said loudly.
"Don't worry, I will naturally send troops immediately, but before leaving, I have to make arrangements for the transfer of the city. Thank you for your hard work, go down and have a good rest first. Come, find a military doctor and treat this brother's wounds. Wrap it up." Yin Cuo said.
Seeing the soldier thanking him profusely, Yin Cuo's expression turned completely gloomy. After a long silence, he said to the soldiers beside him: "Go and ask Mr. Zhang Yi to come over."
"Yes!" The soldier nodded. "What about the messenger who just came back?"
A flash of murderous intent flashed through Yin Cuo's eyes, "After inviting Mr. Zhang, you take a few people to deal with him quietly. Don't let him talk nonsense, let alone alert others."
"Yes, General, I understand."
Zhang Yi was enjoying himself in Jiaocheng these days, and Yin Cuo allowed him to wander around the city. He just sent a group of soldiers to follow him to protect his safety. I heard Yin Cuo's invitation. Looking at the soldier's respectful attitude, Zhang Yi understood that there was news from Shanyang.
"General Yin, is there any news from Shanyang?" Zhang Yi asked with a smile as soon as he saw Yin Cuo.
Yin Cuo sighed and handed the letter for help to Zhang Yi.
Zhang Yi browsed through it hastily and said with a smile: "As expected, General Tan is also a generation of outstanding people, but he has always been unwilling to be left behind. He only wanted to do something for himself, but his heart is higher than the sky, and his life is higher than the sky. It's hard to believe that if he had followed the Qin people or simply followed the Chu people, he would not have ended up like this, but he always thought half-heartedly about seeking help among several major forces. Taking the greatest advantage to strengthen himself, but without any intention. In the end, he will be the first to perish, General Yin, I think you should make up your mind, right?"
Yin Cuo cupped his hands and said: "Mr. Zhang, now that things have happened, Yin has no choice but to defect to the big man. I just want to ask, I have been an enemy of the big man for many years, and my hands are stained with blood. The big man Can you allow me to survive with my life?"
"The general is right. In the past, everyone was his own master, and life and death depended on his fate. No one could blame anyone. But now the general can put the people of Jiaocheng first and save countless people from the charcoal of life. It is a great achievement. The big man must be rewarded. If we really talk about the enemy of the big man, hey, whoever lives by Dayan Lake now was not a big man before. He was once the most sworn enemy of our king. To put it bluntly, the general and them "Compared to that, the portion is still not enough," Zhang Yi said bluntly.
"Sir, you are right." Yin Cuo nodded, "I have decided to defect to the big man, but now, what should I do?"
"There are currently several young men's camps in Jiaocheng, and there are still tens of thousands of young men imprisoned. This is a powder keg. If they know that Tan Feng has been defeated and the city is so empty now, I am afraid that some trouble will arise. These If people make trouble, it is easy to turn a good Jiaocheng into ruins. You know, you snatched them away alive and forced them to do hard work for a long time, exhausting themselves to death. There are quite a few people who have died of illness. These people have accumulated enough hostility, so the first step is to deal with them. "
"Yes, I am also worried about this matter, but how to solve it?" Yin Cuo sighed. "What I can really use now is only a few thousand soldiers. Those new troops are unreliable. When I think of such a huge Qingzhuang camp, I just beat the drum in my heart. In the past, there were large armies to suppress them, and they did not dare to act rashly, but General Tan's soldiers The news of defeat cannot be concealed, and once it spreads, things will inevitably change.”
"So we have to send them away before the news spreads." Zhang Yi smiled and said: "There is food and silver in Jiaocheng. You robbed all of Tai'an and a small half of Wulong, but you saved all the money." We have made a lot of money, and now we can send these people away with a little money." Zhang Yi smiled and said: "Everyone is given some travel expenses, some food for the road, and tells them that they can go home. I want these young people to come. They all have relatives in Tai'an or Wulong. If they are released, they will definitely be eager to return home. As long as this person is separated, there will no longer be a threat. "
"This is a good idea." Yin Cuo nodded repeatedly. "Jiaocheng does have a lot of food and silver now."
"Even your newly recruited soldiers can leave if they want to, but before leaving, they must leave their weapons behind." Zhang Yi smiled and said: "To be honest, Tai'an has made it difficult for you, we big men The county guard sent to Tai'an hates you so much. He only has the old, weak, women and children in his hands, and he can't do anything. Seeing that winter is coming, he can do nothing but wait for domestic relief. Qian, this is really a shame for the officials of the Han Dynasty. If you release these people, not only the young men will be grateful to you, but also the governor of Tai'an will be a favor to you! With these young men, he will have something to do this autumn. At least when the domestic relief is needed, the number will be smaller and his face will look better. "
"This was all Mr. Zhang's idea, and I don't dare to take credit." Yin Cuo waved his hands repeatedly.
"Of course this is your idea, General Yin. People like us will never be able to live under the sun." Zhang Yi smiled and said, "Once this is done, the rest must be under the control of General Yin. The next step is to change the flag and declare that Jiaocheng is under the rule of the Han Dynasty. Before the Han Dynasty sends the governor to take over, you, General Yin, are naturally the number one person in Jiaocheng. Come, I will make an arrangement that satisfies you, General Yin."
"In this case, Yin Cuo will listen to Master Zhang's arrangements." Yin Cuo bowed to the ground, "In the future, please take care of Master Zhang."
"That's natural." Zhang Yi smiled.
A few days later, more than a dozen camps for young adults surrounding Jiaocheng opened their doors one after another. The young adults who had suffered for more than half a year were all beaming with joy and carrying a small child on their shoulders. With a small grain bag and the ten taels of silver distributed to him in his arms, he saluted in the direction of Jiaocheng, thanked Yin Cuo over and over in his heart, and promised to offer his immortality tablet when he returned, before embarking on his return.
They are indeed a group of people who are very easy to be satisfied.
On the sixth day, Jiaocheng had returned to calm. The tens of thousands of young men had basically left, and most of the five thousand new soldiers had also left. In Jiaocheng, Yin Cuo summoned his generals and announced that Tan Feng The current situation in Shanyang City, and told his generals that he had decided to defect to the Han Kingdom.
Although the generals under his command were stunned and shocked, the reality was like this. No one wanted to die in vain, and no one objected to Yin Cuo's decision. On that day, the Yellow Dragon Flag of the Han Dynasty was slowly raised over Jiaocheng. Zhang Yi led Yin Cuo I made the mistake of lowering my watch, boarded a carriage, and left Jiaocheng calmly.
At the same time, Shanyang County, Shiziling, and Tanfeng were already facing a desperate situation.
The Han army was not in a hurry to attack Shizi Ling. For tens of thousands of troops, Shizi Ling was indeed too small. The Han soldiers dug trenches at the foot of the mountain, built breastworks, and pulled up layer after layer. Layers of barbed wire trapped Tan Feng's remaining troops on the mountain.
There is no more food, and now, almost all the edible things on the mountain have been eaten. When walking on the mountain, it is difficult to see a single wild vegetable, and the bark of every tree has been stripped clean. Not to mention the original beasts on the mountain, even the mouse nests hidden deep in the ground, have also been hollowed out.
It’s scary to think about a team of nearly 20,000 people stationed in such a small place and eating everything in one day.
One of the generals weakly walked into Tan Feng's tent. In a few days, Tan Feng seemed to have aged dozens of years, with mottled hair, swollen eyes, and bloodshot eyes.
"How many more have you run away?" Tan Feng asked directly when he saw the general coming in.
"General, last night, nearly two thousand people came down the mountain in the dark and surrendered to the Han army." The general said helplessly: "The Han people used big pots to steam buns and boil broth at the foot of the mountain to lure them. Our soldiers, the soldiers are also hungry."
"How many people are left on the mountain?"
"General, in the past few days, many troops have ran down the mountain in an organized manner to surrender. There are still more than 8,000 people on the mountain. They are all the direct subordinates of the general."
Tan Feng smiled bitterly, "My direct subordinates are also the most loyal to me. Is it possible that I can watch them starve to death?"
"General, let's go down the mountain while we still have the strength. Even if we die in the hands of the enemy, it is better than dying of starvation. This is too cowardly," the general said loudly.
Tan Feng shook his head slightly, "No, you just said that they are the most loyal subordinates to me. I am at the end of my rope, how can I watch them follow me to death? There is no chance. So, I decided ,surrender."
"General!" the general said in surprise.
"I'm talking about you. You take them to surrender to the Han army. As for me, this Shiziling is my destination. I will never surrender to Gaoyuan." (To be continued.)